New Order “Blue Monday” 1983. Original UK 12″ single, Factory Records. Considered by many as the ultimate synthpop dance single, it hit the top of the dance charts it both ‘83, again in ‘88 with a new version (“Blue Monday 88″) remixed by Quincy Jones and then another in ‘95 (remixed by Hardfloor), making it one of the best-selling singles of all-time. On the official single charts, it initially went to #12 in the UK in ‘83 and then again to #9 later that same year; the ‘88 version went to #3 in the UK and to #68 in the US; in ‘95 it went to #17 in the UK. Oh, and another reissue in 2006 took it back on the UK charts to #73. It’s the single that never truly goes away. For good reason – it’s catchy, hypnotic, layered and interesting and has the perfect beat for dancing. The 12″ single’s b-side is an instrumental re-working of “Blue Monday” – “The Beach.” The sleeve of the 12″ has become iconic despite the fact that the neither the band’s name nor the name of the song appears anywhere, including the spine. Its die-cut sleeve designed to mimic a floppy disc was so expensive to make that Factory Records lost money on each record sold, only one of many many many financial woes of the label, some of which I just learned about.

Last night I finally finished reading Peter Hook’s book Substance: Inside New Order that I picked up at Rough Trade Records in London last summer. It’s massive, with a dizzying amount of personal and band stories, snark (mainly aimed at Bernard Sumner) and technical details about synths, recording equipment, every single concert New Order performed and each release. I’m nowhere even close to a New Order geek but I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to any New Order fan as a one-stop shop for all the techy details about the band.